Managing your strategic objectives

Now that you are starting to settle into your stride in 2018, perhaps its time to revisit your list of goals and objectives.

Before you think about adding any new objectives to your list, think about what you’re going to stop doing. We all have limited “bandwidth” and increasing demands on our time. Consider whether your initial list of goals for 2018 was a little bit too ambitious. Perhaps you can cut your list down by delegating a few objectives to other team members within your business. Maybe there are a few objectives from last year that you have carried over to this year. Failing to take old activities off your to-do list can prevent you from having the time to focus on achieving your new objectives.

Consider all of your work commitments

In most businesses, projects and tasks get added to your to-do list throughout the year. Now might be a good time to take a look at that list of commitments and re-evaluate what you’re doing and why you are doing it. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Does your current to-do list still fit within the context of the market in which your firm is operating? Maybe an ongoing project from last year is no longer relevant.

How much “bandwidth” do you have?

Time is a fixed asset. We cannot make more of it but we can spend it differently. Now that you have assessed your list of priorities, you should focus on how you are actually going to achieve your objectives within the time that you have available. A good way to do this is to reduce time spent in meetings. Question whether you need meetings for certain projects as well as their frequency.

Create a business case for any new objectives

During the year things will change. Inevitably new objectives will be added to your to-do list. In order to avoid becoming overwhelmed, be strategic in terms of new projects that you accept.

For further information on business strategy, please contact Richard Hurst on 023 8046 1208.